1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of, by using a computer, producing speeded-up voice data or slowed-down data, a method of playing back such voice data, a method of assisting a user of a computer to memorize or learn a language, and a computer program for executing such a method.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known in the art to play back voice data at a high speed (2, 3, or 4 times higher than the normal speed) using a dedicated tape recorder. A flash card is also known as a tool of learning a language. For example, a teacher of English shows an English word written on a thick paper card with a size of about 10 cm in height and 25 cm in width to pupils for a very short time, and pupils pronounces the English word shown. It is also known to employ a card game in teaching English to little children. In this teaching technique, pictures and corresponding English words are drawn on respective cards, and children look for a particular card.
However, in the conventional quick playback system, voice data recorded on a tape is processed, and thus this technique is not suitable for use with a multimedia system such as that using the Internet.
The inventor of the present invention has read a scientific newspaper article entitled “Eyes cheat Ears” (Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Sunday, Jun. 23, 2002, p. 28). In this article, various examples of cheating between an image and a sound are described. For example, if a sound is generated twice each time light is emitted once, human eyes misperceive that light is emitted twice. In another example, after seeing a rectangular image moving away repeatedly, a sound with a constant volume is misperceived as increasing in volume. In a moving picture in which two balls move toward each other and pass each other, if a collision sound is generated, human eyes misperceive that the two balls are repelled from each other. From this article, the inventor of the present invention has gotten an excellent idea that effects of quick playback can be enhanced by displaying an image when a voice is being played back at an increased speed.
The inventor also has got idea of realizing flash cards on a computer thereby realizing an improved method of assisting memorization. Furthermore, the inventor has got an idea of improving a manner of displaying an image in a computer-assisted memorization system, by applying cerebric physiological effects, such as those described for example in “Brain System” (edited by Makoto Iwata and published by Natsume-sha Publishing Co.).
The description on pages 74 to page 81 of “Brain System” published by Natsume-sha can be summarized as follows. A right-hand portion of a brain is associated with left-hand portions of a human body, while a light-hand portion of the brain is associated with right-hand portions of the human body. Information from a left eye is treated by the right-hand portion of the brain, while information from a right eye is treated by the left-hand portion of the brain. Processing associated with languages is performed by the left-hand portion of the brain, while processing associated with images is performed by the right-hand portion of the brain. Many examples of experiments of manners in which brains work are also described. Of those, a description of effects of showing an image to an examinee for a very short time such as 0.1 sec or shorter is instructive.
The inventor of the present invention has got an idea of realizing a method of assisting a user to memorize a great amount of information in a short time, on the basis of the quick playback technique and the cerebric physiological effects.